Another year gone, another long list of movies seen, another list of my favorite movies, and other movies I want to talk about. As I mentioned in my Games of 2023 list article, work has been hectic in 2023 which meant less time spent on movies; still, I found 2023 to be quite enjoyable, to the point where I had the most difficulty picking out the movies to axe from these lists than ever before! As always, my list of favorite movies will be alphabetically sorted for the first 8 picks (as they are all tied for 3rd place), followed by the top two ranked. Before that, let’s talk about some other stuff; first up, my old movies of the year, which I kept to just two.
- Guillermo Del Torro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Del Torro is one of my favorite directors ever and one of the most consistent quality-wise. He rarely misses and I find so much to like in his style and narratives that I can’t get enough of his work. Last year alone, his ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ series was one of the most entertaining horror anthologies I’ve ever seen, but it is his masterful take on Pinocchio that takes the cake for this list. While the project will stand out to anyone for the awe-inspiring stop-motion work, there is so much more to it than that. It’s an intelligent and poignant adaptation of Pinocchio that does not shy away from topics rarely seen in kids’ animation like war or death (the latter less so in recent years). There is such energy conveyed and such respect for the intended audience that is simply refreshing and enjoyable for all ages, while still having a ton of Del Torro’s signature gothic style. A passion project of his and one that went through one of the longest and most arduous development hell cycles I can remember, it’s such a relief that this movie was eventually financed and exists so we can all enjoy its brilliance.
- The Summit of Gods (2021)
Another animation film from Netflix and one that had been languishing on my watchlist for a long time, I finally watched this French film about a photographer discovering the whereabouts of a famed mountain climber and then shadowing him in his attempt to reach the peak of Mount Everest. A tale of obsession and perseverance, the rush of success and the depths of failure, the understanding of why people push themselves to the extremes and gleefully climb towards certain doom. ‘The Summit of the Gods’ is a fascinating and beautifully animated film that allows the themes of the story to breathe and sink their bootnails into your brain. What fascinated me the most was how nothing really happens in the movie; my short description of it is basically the entire plot, but how it engages the viewer from minute one right up to the final scene is movie magic. You can see the end coming before you press play; I’d even say most people can predict most of the scenes, but good stories are not all about twists and turns. Sometimes it is far superior to deliver an outstanding version of a story experienced before, rather than try to mess with it to deliver a silly twist. It’s a great and concise film and I highly recommend it to those who have not yet seen it.
The next part is a new section that I would like to try and see how it comes out; these are movies that were released last year, which I saw, and wanted to talk about, but have no place in any of the lists.
- A Haunting in Venice
The new Hercule Poirot movie by Sir Keneth Branagh is something I’m very happy about; I love that Branagh will use his influence and ability to get funding to make adaptations of Agatha Christie’s shrewd little Belgian. I love that each entry has a star-studded cast that seems to enjoy making these movies. Despite the slight disappointment of Death on the Nile, I was excited to see A Haunting in Venice, as I didn’t know too much about the movie; it was based on a novel I hadn’t read and it seemed much darker and spookier. The movie turned out to be pretty good; I would love for Branagh to direct a full-on horror movie, as the direction was great and the dread he managed to squeeze out of the story, the cast, and the environment is impressive. I would have liked the mystery to be more interesting, but overall, a fun addition to this franchise and I hope to see more in the future.
- Air: Courting a Legend
I don’t like basketball. I don’t really care for biographical movies. I went to see this movie for two reasons: First, I’m not going to pass on a chance to go to the cinema, I love that experience too much. Second, I never judge a movie by its genre; if there’s one thing I learned from loving movies is that, no matter what reviews you read, or what prior experiences you have, always give movies a shot. At worst, they will further inform you on what creative decisions you enjoy and why; at best, they will surprise you and open up a whole new world of experiences for you to enjoy. ‘Air’ is neither of those extremes, but it’s a damn fine movie. Great performances, great direction, a great script, and – most of all – another one of those movies that keep popping up recently: Modestly budgeted movies outside of franchises and spectacles, like Hollywood used to make in the 2000s and before. I miss those movies and I’m glad ‘Air’ exists and that it was so well made. I just wish more of those movies are made and I suspect we will get plenty more of them.
- Cocaine Bear
One of the forgotten movies of the year, seeing the title in my list of movies I’ve seen this year sparked something interesting in me; I really wanted to talk about it. Maybe it’s the fact that it is Ray Liotta’s last role; maybe it’s because I want more movies that are weird and unapologetically bonkers. It’s not without fault; it doesn’t fully commit to being weird and bonkers nor does it deliver on the different ideas it has on how this movie could have panned out – at times a slasher, a dark comedy, a dread-inducing horror experience, an adventure – but, it certainly went for it. Is it worth watching? It depends on your tolerance for weird and goofy in the face of dark circumstances, but I enjoyed it for what it was and wouldn’t mind having a rewatch at some point; I certainly won’t go looking for it though.
- Creed 3
I remember very little about ‘Creed 2’; as I am writing this, I can’t even remember what the premise was without Googling it. Can’t say that ‘Creed 3’ won’t suffer the same fate, eventually, but as of now, I can remember the stellar performances and that last boxing ring faceoff. It’s a shame that Jonathan Majors turned out to be a prick, but there are many other aspects of the movie to praise. Michael B. Jordan’s directing was exceptional for a first-time director and it breathed new life into this franchise for me; I didn’t want a ‘Creed 3’, based on my complete detachment from the 2nd, but I wouldn’t mind another movie in the franchise, based on how much I enjoyed the 3rd.
- Saw X
Before ‘Spiral: From the Book of Saw’ was released some time back, I did a marathon of the whole franchise and it surprised me how much fun I had; the first movie is genuinely great, the second is good, the third is alright, and then it goes bonkers. ‘Spiral’ is not great, but it does have Sam Jackson delivering the hell out of his variation of the iconic line “Do you want to play a game?”. Despite what you may think of me, I’m a simple man and Sam Jackson delivering that line makes the entire movie worth it for me. Saw X returns to the roots of the franchise and it does a pretty good job at it; Tobin Bell is back (finally) and, in an interesting subversion of the franchise, he’s the main character instead of the main villain. The gore and practical effects are great, the kills are inventive and disgusting, the story is silly in the best way possible, and, as an unironically-ironic lover of the franchise, getting that level of fan service made me nostalgic for the yearly release of Saw. It’s a great excuse to start anew and I hope they do.
- Silent Night
Two names: John Woo and Joel Kinnaman. What else does an action-movie buff need to be told to get their butts in seats? In truth, like most of Woo’s films, it’s not a slam dunk or a modern classic. But it has a unique gimmick (that outstays its welcome) and a great end, excellent performances from Kinnaman and Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Woo’s excellent directing. One problem: I am a massive fan of Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace and that made watching large sections of this movie almost impossible without giggling.
- Thanksgiving
Eli Roth is a director that I have a complicated relationship with. I share the passion he has for weird, bloody, off-putting, and controversial horror movies of yesteryear, yet his homages to those movies are very hit or miss for me; I like ‘Cabin Fever’, I don’t really care for the ‘Hostel’ franchise, I’ve yet to see ‘The Green Inferno’, ‘Knock Knock’ was a decent and forgettable movie, and ‘Death Wish’ is terrible. Going into ‘Thanksgiving’ I was unsure what to expect, but I enjoyed it – liked is too strong as a word, but enjoyed is just right. There is an over-the-top nature to it that I really like and the kills are creative, but there are elements that go unexplored and opportunities not taken that left me feeling this could have been much better. In any case, I don’t know what ‘Borderlands’ will be like, but I hope that Roth goes back to this type of slasher and executes it better as it could be another cult classic in the making, if he does.
One last step before we get to my favorites of the year: The movies I wished I liked more. As with every year, a reminder of what this list is about; this is not a list of bad movies or an attempt to mock or wrongfully scrutinize less successful releases. In an article that aims to look back at my year of watching films, there needs to be a spot for criticism and disappointments; however, I could very easily look for bad movies or go watch movies I’m not interested in just to add them to my list, and this is not that. Every movie I see, I go in with a positive expectation, and failing to meet that is not proof that the movie is bad, however, an important part of learning and appreciating has to involve failing and experiencing films that are not as enjoyable as you’d hoped. Although this list could have been bigger, I’ve decided to limit it to three, just because films like ‘Rebel Moon’ and ‘Renfield’ I’ve enjoyed a lot, but felt let down by creative decisions – it’s more like “wasted potential” than me wanting for the movies to have been better.
- Napoleon
Ridley Scott’s epic had so much going for it; Scott reuniting with Joaquin Phoenix; Scott coming from the exceptional ‘The Last Duel’, while Phoenix enjoys some of the best performances of his stellar career so far; Napoleon being such an interesting historical figure to explore. So, why did I not enjoy it as much? The reasons are quite clear for those who have seen the movie; a very slow pace, lingering on certain aspects of Napoleon’s character affording them too much screen time, while neglecting or omitting other aspects; historical inaccuracies aside, it felt very sloppy, with some shots having all the makings of becoming iconic while others feeling like they were handled by an applicant for a film school. It’s uneven in ways that are in line with how Scott has handled things. For example, I simply do not care about historical inaccuracies, but going that route should provide you with the creative liberties to make a film more fascinating. Besides the battle scenes (which are amazing), nothing else feels like it benefited. Overall, it felt very safe and unremarkable, which is not something I would expect of any Ridley Scott movie – let alone one about Bonaparte – but, despite some great historical action, I left the theater not feeling satisfied with the overall experience.
2. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Did I expect greatness from a new Indiana Jones movie in 2023? No. Yet it did not meet my expectations of being good. I dislike this movie, not only because of the CGI fest or the underwhelming execution of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character, but because it had some great ideas it simply did not execute well. First, let’s address the CGI elephant in the room; I believe that the opening is a great set piece done poorly – I cannot look at CGI Harrison Ford and suspend my disbelief. Furthermore, I just dislike how “modern” it feels; Indy is older, yes, but the set pieces (although fun in any other context) just feel derivative of modern blockbuster action, instead of representative of what makes Indiana Jones movies great. I like the performances, I like the plot (especially the subversion of what Mads Mikkelsen’s villain character’s ultimate goal is), but something is missing; even Crystal Skull had that X factor where the audience felt the joy of working on an Indiana Jones movie, yet this movie doesn’t have that. It feels too corporate and I wish that if Indy is set to return again, then something needs to change.
- The Exorcist: Believer
Another franchise entry that failed to connect with what made the original a classic, Believer is a terrible Exorcist sequel and a bad horror movie. David Gordon Green is not a bad director of horror; his style and vision can work in horror as seen in the recent Halloween reboots, but The Exorcist is a different type of movie. Slasher characterization, empty callbacks, and sacrilegious ways to bring back characters of the original movie are just some of the reasons this movie does not work; a lack of a meaningful point and the drama that would come from having a vision that included one is the reason this is a bad Exorcist sequel/soft-reboot.
At long last, I’ve finally reached the point of this entire article: My 10 favorite movies from 2023! Before I start, as always, I haven’t seen everything I wanted to see that came out in 2023. Movies like ‘The Holdovers’ are yet to screen in cinemas in my country, while stuff like ‘Pain Hustlers’ and ‘El Conde’ I just haven’t seen yet. Even before I saw those movies, this year was especially hard to make one of these lists; I’ve spent hours blankly staring at the list and trying to narrow it down to 10, without much success. That’s not to suggest that there are more than 10 movies so special and unique to me that I didn’t know which to keep; instead, there are so many great movies that keeping one and cutting another feels wrong. There are a couple of special movies that will get the top two spots, but for the other 8, it’s a tie for 3rd place and I will instead alphabetically order them. Just to feel better though, I just want to quickly mention the movies I did end up cutting. First, ‘Evil Dead Rise’ by Lee Cronin; a gorgeous movie that is one of the goriest mainstream movies of the last few years. Despite a slow start, Rise offers great performances, inventive use of gore, and great scares. Second, ‘Super Mario Bros’ by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. It’s a good video game film adaptation?! That alone should warrant it a space on this list, but the great performance of Jack Black, the faithfulness of the adaptation, alongside the charm, make it a great children’s animation on its own merits; it misses out because children’s animation isn’t really something that I connect with and something had to be cut. Lastly, Extraction 2 by Sam Hargraves; the sequel I didn’t want to happen, but then it did happen and I was very happy it happened. As explosive and action-packed as the first, but takes the practical-effects-driven set-pieces mixed in with the over-the-top action of Marvel that the first movie did and elevates it to new heights. Is the story, characters, and situations forgettable? Absolutely. In a perfect world, wouldn’t it have been better if Sam Hargraves was given all the budget for Extraction 2 and made a new original movie that was destined to be the beginning of a franchise? Sure. That’s not what was going to happen and given what we got in the end, that’s not such a bad thing either.
With all the preamble out of the way is it finally time for the list? Yes, but also, like last year, one of the best things I saw all year long was a series, so before we get to the list, let’s talk about “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Mike Flannagan. Once again, Flannagan shows why he is one of the most exciting creators working today, blending gothic horror with character-driven drama, in a tale that borrows from Edgar Allan Poe’s stories and melts them together in a satisfying overarching narrative. It rarely happens that a series will sink its teeth so hard in me that I will binge episodes and lose sleep on work days, but the excellent writing, performances, direction, and style of this show were too good not to lose sleep over. This is also Flannagan’s most approachable work yet, so even if you don’t like horror, this is a show that you have to see.
- Barbie
I expected Barbie to be good; Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach are two excellent creators, working at the top of their game – and that’s not to mention the gigantic budget, terrific cast, and the relative freedom they were allowed to work with. What I didn’t expect was that it would be this good. Barbie is a hilarious adventure, an awe-inspiring achievement in set and costume design, a showcase for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling’s acting, and an impressive feat of directing as it melts all of the components together to a seamlessly fluid experience, without ever feeling the need to dumb down the script or the themes it is trying to tackle. Does it get everything right? No. There is more nuance to Barbie’s impact on young girls, there is more to be explored through the lenses of a middle-aged woman’s imaginary world of Barbies and Kens coming to life and clashing with modern sensibilities. To explore that would be to change the genre and to make a blockbuster for a few, which is going to be a financial and critical failure. I loved what Barbie turned out to be and I’m disappointed that Margot Robbie is not getting the same level of acclaim that her co-star is getting as she delivers the most perfect performance of the year.
- Furies
A prequel to a niche action flick from Netflix has no right to be this good, let alone end up being one of the best action movies of the year. Veronica Ngo not only returns to star but also to direct an exhilarating, martial arts feast for the eyes with a lot of heart to counter the extreme violence on display. While not the most impressive set pieces of the year or the most elaborate direction, ‘Furies’ is the movie that manages to mix all of its features together the most fluently and create the most coherent experience.
- Godzilla: Minus One
Godzilla, the character, has had many phases in its time as a cinematic icon; from its thematic and horror origins to becoming almost a parody with mecha variations and lots of other weird monsters joining the canon, to recent Hollywood making a beast of nature the “good guy”. Returning to its original purpose was inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it was going to be good; ‘Minus One’ is more than good, it is excellent. A return to scary Godzilla, to Godzilla representing something more than a cool-looking beast; beyond that, a return to Godzilla movies being tense and building dread, characters that serve a purpose in pushing the themes and the horror of what Godzilla represents – not just wooden caricatures that get us from monster fight to monster fight. It’s not just the return of Godzilla as a representation of the horrors of war, of nature, fighting back, or of Japan’s waking of a sleeping dragon that almost destroys the nation; it’s a return to disaster movie origins with thrilling sequences of destruction, and, most importantly, the drama that comes from dealing with those destructions – surviving them, overcoming them, preventing them. I really enjoyed Godzilla’s recent Hollywood output as the silly blockbusters that they are, but Japan has just made one of the best Godzilla movies ever made and one of the best movies of 2023.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3
Superhero fatigue is slowly beginning to eat away at the success of Marvel’s cinematic universe. Just this year, there were 3 movies released (if you don’t include animated Spider-man), and two of the three came and went without me noticing; not that I care all that much anymore, but I at least noticed their release and subsequent discourse about its quality. I even saw Ant-Man and would not have remembered that had I not cataloged all the movies I saw during the year. Guardians is, and has always been, different. While the characters feel like part of the MCU, the movies feel like…movies; they never felt like a setup or payoff or continuation of something established in a completely different movie or show, but a complete experience that begins with walking into a theater and ends with leaving said theater. The action is great (when compared to other blockbusters), the characters have satisfying arcs, the dialogue is snappy and fun, and the whole experience is a fun romp highlighted by great moments of drama. I hope Marvel gets back at making this type of movie because when they nail them, they are some of the best entertainment to experience in that year.
- Killers of the Flower Moon:
What a happy coincidence that Martin Scorsese’s new movie is right after a Marvel movie, given his infamous article on Marvel’s success. If Guardians was one of the best experiences I’ve had with a Marvel movie, then Killers of the Flower Moon is one of the best Scorsese movies I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in theaters. Lily Gladstone delivering one of the best performances by any actor this year, while also doing it with a fully-firing De Niro and Di Caprio chewing up the scenes is nothing short of impressive. The inch-perfect editing made a movie that was almost 3 and a half hours long feel like a sitcom episode with how smooth and fluid it felt. Scorsese directing with the energy of an 18-year-old, with fresh ideas on camera movement, framing, etc. This is, as Scorsese would argue, what cinema is all about; compelling narratives that have importance, great actors giving a damn and performing at their peak, a crew at the top of their game delivering the best experience possible, all about a story that has been deliberately under-represented and ignored by most of us. Also, interestingly, it marks another great get from AppleTV, which is truly challenging Netflix and Disney+, and it means that as movie buffs we will get (at least for now) more competition for our money and more great movies as a result; at least that is my hope.
- Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning: Part 1
The movie King is back! Tom Cruise is jumping off mountains while riding motorcycles and throwing trains off of cliffs! In a list filled to the brim with blockbusters, MI stands out to me as the one that I still have conflicting feelings about. While the set-pieces are jaw-dropping and provide some of the most exhilarating entertainment of the year, the movie as a whole pales in comparison to MI: Fallout – but, then again, most movies do. My issue with Dead Reckoning is the villain – not Esai Morales, as he was brilliant – but the overall villain of this duology; I love MI villains because they contrast an aspect of Ethan’s in a morally corrupt way. Phelps in original MI, uses the loyalty that Hunt appreciates so, to get money. Scott in MI II and how he treated his subordinates contrasted to Hunt, who refuses to kill a mole even if it means that a deadly virus won’t be released on the world (I could go on for all entries but this would be too long). MI: DR has… a generic AI that can predict the future; it still challenges Hunt in a real and inspired way, with Hunt having to drop his high-tech gadgets, question all information, and risk his friends’ lives for the greater good, but the soul of the franchise is missing and that’s disappointing. What’s certainly not disappointing is the trademark action of MI being even better (in some regards) than even Fallout; sure, the motorcycle and train finale is one of the best action movie finales ever, but that should not take away from the great set pieces that came before. The car chase in Rome; the fight against information and several henchmen on the streets at night in Venice; the whole airport sequence in Abu Dhabi. It’s all brilliant and it is, despite some disappointing aspects, one of the best blockbusters of the year and a great movie in all regards.
- Sister Death
Victoria (2015) is a great, underrated horror movie from Paco Plaza – director of Rec – and Sister Death is a spin-off from that movie directed by Plaza again. It centers around the eponymous character and her story before the events of Victoria. In a year filled with complicated and complex movies, Sister Death offers up a simple premise with the expected results: This is a horror movie about a nun, experiencing horrific visions and a crisis of faith. Despite this simple premise, the execution is sublime and dreadful. There is a steady stream of great scares, characterization, and growth, which all lead up to a subversive ending that I really enjoyed. It won’t go down in history as the greatest horror movie ever made and will be overshadowed by the next entry on this list when we reflect on 2023 in terms of horror, but I think that’s a shame. It’s got great performances, a seasoned and energetic director bringing his A-game, and it’s got a lot of effort put into it with the execution to match it. It’s a Netflix original and that comes with its own baggage, but it really deserves horror fans’ attention as it is a genuinely scary and entertaining horror movie.
- Talk to me:
One of the best horror movies in years, Talk to Me is about grief, dealing with loss, and becoming a bad version of yourself in search of ways to hold on to people already lost; unlike other “elevated horror” movies, this theme is not crucial to your enjoyment. Like the best of its sub-genre, Talk to Me’s themes are a bonus to the primary source of entertainment: horror. With great practical effects, great performances, and directing to rival seasoned horror masters, Talk to Me is scary as hell and entertaining because of it. There’s even some springling of dumb and dark humor to help ease the dread that keeps constantly building, while the story goes places and is impactful. Not much more to say; if you like horror movies, go in blind and enjoy the best horror experience of 2023.
2. John Wick: Chapter 4
After Chapter 3’s narrative disappointments, I went into Chapter 4 expecting the worst; I knew the action would top Chapter 3’s excellent set pieces and choreography because that is one thing that is consistently evolving in this franchise. However, I worried that the story would limber to connect everything together and drag its feet across a finish line that wouldn’t feel earned. Oh, ye of little faith, because Chapter 4 delivers the best narrative, villain, character arc, and action of the entire series while being one of the most stylish movies of the year. It is one of the best movies of the year and, could very much enter the pantheon of “nearly perfect movies” after a few more rewatches. In terms of action, the brilliant top-down sequence, the staircase fight, the whole Japan sequence…just every set-piece in this movie is mind-boggling. I love the directing of these sequences, the ferocity and fluidity, the style and flair, the inventiveness, and the absolute resolve to make these difficult shoots, not only function but excel. Bill Skarsgard as the best villain of the franchise, enhances the narrative, delivering a suave performance fitting for a Bond villain, but with the malice needed for a John Wick antagonist. F’ing finally Scott Adkins is in the franchise and his role is a great surprise that had me in tears from laughter and enjoyment. Most of all, the narrative downfalls of Chapter 3 are not only addressed, but they are explored, advanced, and concluded beautifully and satisfyingly. I love this movie so much and if it is the final one, there couldn’t be a better way for this team to sign off on action franchise history.
- Oppenheimer
How I felt when Oppenheimer was announced is very similar to how I feel about Scorsese’s next movie being about Jesus: “Well, if there’s anyone to get me interested in this genre…”. That’s not to say I am entirely disinterested in biopics; 2016’s Christine is the biopic that perfectly describes what type of biopics I tend to watch. It’s about real people who are neither saints nor sinners in reputation; it’s about a specific period in their lives (or in Christine’s case, the short period that got them their infamy); they don’t shy away from exploring aspects of these people that are too complicated. Thus, when Nolan was said to be directing a biopic for the lead scientist of the Manhattan Project, I was excited. Nolan is one of my favorite directors of all time, tackling a genre that I was not interested in but with a subject matter that I was very interested in. Oppenheimer was an interesting individual; a man dedicated to science, however, was tasked with creating a deadly and inhumane weapon to end suffering by inflicting too much suffering; a man who would not take responsibility for its use, but condemned its use at every chance he had. But, to say that Oppenheimer is just a biopic would be to unfairly trim a lot of the interesting ideas to a single genre. Oppenheimer is an origins story, a heist movie, a courtroom drama, and a political thriller; it is Nolan’s best work as a director of actors, with Cillian Murphy, Robert Downing Jr., and Emily Blunt in particular giving Oscar-worthy performances. Even Ludwig Goransson’s masterful score is a brilliant glue that holds a lot of the themes and motifs together throughout the movie. Moreover, it is a special movie that has so many great cinematic moments – from the gymnasium speech to the final moments of the film – visually striking moments like Oppenheimer putting his fedora on amidst the blinding flashing lights of cameras, without it ever losing focus or substance. I don’t know if it’s my favorite of Nolan’s work yet, but it’s without a doubt the movie I thought of and marveled at the most during 2023.
Ruler of Owls 